Hirokazu Yasuhara

From Sega Retro

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Not to be confused with Yasuhiro "Yas" Takagi.

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Hirokazu Yasuhara's corporate photo from Naughty Dog.

Another pivotal name in the early years of Sonic, Hirokazu Yasuhara (安原 広和) was the original game and level designer. He was probably the most actively involved in the early development of the series, and remained one of the chief map designers all the way through Sonic R in 1997. He even had a hand in the design of the shelved Sonic X-treme. He continued to give his design expertise to Sega of America projects, such as the 2001 Floigan Bros..

In 2002, Yasuhara left Sega and joined fellow former members of the Sega Technical Institute at Naughty Dog, where he worked on the Jak & Daxter series as well as the first installment of Uncharted.

In 2008, Yasuhara departed Naughty Dog to take up a job at Namco-Bandai America, where he worked on Pac-Man Party, which released in 2010.

In 2012, Yasuhara was hired by Nintendo Software Technology Corporation, a US-based division of the company of the same name best known for developing the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games, as well as Metroid Prime Hunters.

Quotes

"I was opposed to [Sega's] decision to create games that use 'Sonic-something' so that they can sell it easily. I wanted to make good games, not any games that used the Sonic character in a haphazard way."
- Yasuhara on his work on the Traveller's Tales-developed Sonic titles

Production history

  • Altered Beast (Arcade version) (1988) — credit unknown
  • Pyramid Magic (1991) — Special Thanks to (as Carol)
  • Pyramid Magic Special (1991) — Special Thanks to (as Carol)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog (Mega Drive Version) (1991) — Game Plan (as Carol Yas)
  • Fatal Labyrinth (1991) — Planner (as Carol)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Mega Drive Version) (1992) — Game Planner (as Hirokazu Yasuhara (Carol Yas)), Object Placement
  • Sonic Spinball (Mega Drive Version) (1993) — A Special Bow to [NOTE: Manual credit]
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) — Director, Lead Game Designer
  • Sonic & Knuckles (1994) — Director, Lead Game Designer
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (1994) — Director, Lead Game Designer
  • Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island (Mega Drive Version) (1996) — Playfield Design (SOJ) (Sega)
  • Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island (Saturn and PC Versions) (1996/1997) — Playfield Design (SOJ) (Sega)
  • Sonic X-treme (Canceled) — Head Designer
  • Sonic R (Saturn Version) (1997) — Map Design Director (Sega of America Inc.)
  • Sonic R (PC Version) (1998) — Map design director (Sega of America Inc.) (Sega), Map design director (Sega Enterprises Ltd.) (Sega)
  • Sega Smash Pack 2 (2000) — Special Thanks
  • Floigan Brothers: Episode 1 (2001) — Game Designer (Visual Concepts Credits)
  • Jak II (2003) — Game Designer
  • Jak 3 (2004) — Game Designer
  • Jak X: Combat Racing (2005) — Game Designer
  • Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007) — Game Designer (Naughty Dog)
  • Afro Samurai (2009) — Special Thanks (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
  • Pac-Man Party (2010) — Senior Game Designer (Namco Bandai Games America, Inc.)
  • Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move (2013) — Game Designer (Nintendo Software Technology)

Interview

External links